Chapter 3190: Investigating The Bandit Corpses

Lin Mu nodded hearing Cattaleya’s assessment before rising to his feet.

His immortal sense expanded outward, probing the residual energy still clinging to the chamber. The remnants of Qi felt tainted, cold and hollow, as though the very essence of the victims had been siphoned away.

He turned toward Elyon, who was crouched near one of the tents, examining a blood stained weapon lying beside a corpse.

"These men were strong," Lin Mu said after a pause. "All of them are at the third tribulation stage of the immortal realm. That kind of cultivation would be rare even among mid-tier mercenary groups, much less bandits."

Elyon frowned deeply, his golden eyes reflecting the dim light of the cave. "That’s what confuses me. From what I learned before, these bandits were not all immortals.

Only two of them were supposed to have stepped into the immortal realm, and even then, barely at the first tribulation stage. The rest were Dao Treading Realm cultivators... strong, but nowhere near this level."

Daoist Chu’s brows furrowed. "Then something must have elevated their power artificially."

"Exactly," Elyon replied. "Their sudden rise in cultivation could only be achieved through forbidden means. Pills, sacrifices, or something worse."

Monk Hushu took a few steps forward, his hands coming together as he closed his eyes.

"Let me check..."

A faint golden glow began to emanate from his body as he started to chant softly. The deep, resonant hum of Buddhist scripture filled the chamber, carrying a purifying energy that clashed with the lingering malevolence in the air.

As the chant continued, the corpses began to tremble faintly. Thin wisps of black vapor rose from their chests, twisting and writhing like smoke fleeing from fire. A low hissing sound echoed around the cavern as the energy was drawn out by the monk’s technique.

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed.

He had seen this energy before. "That aura..." he muttered. "It’s the same as the corruption from the Ephemera Sect."

Daoist Chu nodded grimly. "Without a doubt. The essence of their foul arts leaves a distinct signature."

Meng Bai shuddered slightly as he looked at the dissipating black wisps. "So they were being used by the Ephemera Sect all along. These bandits were not acting of their own accord."

"That explains their strength," Cattaleya said. "But it still doesn’t explain who killed them. If the Ephemera Sect was using them, why would they destroy their own agents?"

Elyon looked around, scanning the cave’s perimeter. "The fact that their loot is still here means the killer was not after wealth."

"Indeed," Daoist Chu said, stroking his beard. "Whoever did this came specifically to eliminate them. It is likely that they were silenced intentionally, perhaps to cut any trace of connection to the sect."

Monk Hushu’s chanting faded, and he opened his eyes. "That would make sense. The Ephemera Sect has always been paranoid about exposure. If they believe the bandits’ operations risked discovery, they would rather destroy them than risk investigation."

Lin Mu considered the possibility. "Or perhaps," he said slowly, "someone else—an independent agent or another faction within the sect—did this to conceal their own trail."

Cattaleya exhaled sharply. "Too many possibilities. And with the way this place has been cleaned, I doubt we’ll find any clues left behind."

They searched the camp methodically nonetheless. Lin Mu and Meng Bai went through the tents while Daoist Chu and Monk Hushu examined the weapons and crates.

Elyon sifted through the ashes of a campfire while Cattaleya overturned boxes, checking for hidden compartments. But as expected, most of what they found was meaningless: stolen goods, food supplies, tools, and mundane trinkets.

The bandits’ spatial pouches, however, were missing entirely.

"That confirms it," Lin Mu said after a long silence. "The one who killed them took whatever evidence was worth keeping."

Elyon straightened, brushing the snow from his hands. "No direct leads, then. But we might still have one last method."

Lin Mu turned toward him. "You mean the memory of darkness?"

Elyon nodded. "The cave is steeped in shadow. It should still hold the echoes of what happened here. If the killer did anything, their presence will be recorded within the darkness itself."

"Do it," Lin Mu said simply.

Elyon stepped to the center of the cavern, closed his eyes, and raised his hand. Darkness gathered around him like ink drawn to a brush. The shadows along the walls quivered, then began to move, swirling together in twisting shapes.

Slowly, they began to take form.

The faint silhouettes of the bandits appeared, sitting together in a rough circle. Their gestures were lifelike, though the illusion was silent. One of the figures appeared to be laughing while another tossed a bone into a fire that flickered faintly in the projection.

The group watched quietly, observing the shadows play out the fragments of the past. Then, one of the bandits turned his head suddenly, as if sensing something behind him. The others froze, their bodies tensing.

Out of the deeper shadows at the back of the cave, another figure emerged.

Unlike the others, this figure was cloaked completely, their form indistinct and hazy even within the shadowy memory. Long robes covered their entire body, and a cloth wrapped tightly around their face. No insignia or crest adorned their garments.

They were utterly featureless, a blank silhouette.

The bandits appeared to react instantly, several of them leaping to their feet, weapons raised. But before they could attack, their bodies stiffened. One by one, their movements halted mid-step. Their weapons dropped soundlessly to the ground.

A faint ripple spread from the cloaked figure, like an unseen wave of energy.

The silhouettes of the bandits began to tremble violently. Wisps of energy representing their life force and Qi rose from their forms in glowing streams, drawn toward the stranger. Within seconds, all movement ceased.

The shadows of the bandits crumpled to the ground, still and lifeless.

The hooded figure lingered for a moment longer, then turned toward the entrance and vanished, the illusion dissolving back into formless darkness.

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